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Posts Tagged ‘glory’

11 Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.

12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

16 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;

17 That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?

– Isaiah 14:11-17 (KJV)

God deserves our best. He deserves our all. He is deserving and worthy of all praise.

Lucifer didn’t think so. He felt that some glory should come his way, too. After all, he was son of the morning and the anointed cherub. He thought highly of himself and exalted himself out of pride. It was his lust for power that caused his downfall. Glory was not his to have. It was reserved for God.

17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. .18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee..19 All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more. – Ezekiel 28:17-19

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Let God have His glory. Cast off anyone who dares to try to steal His glory. It is all His and for His benefit, not ours. He’s already blessed us with His love, grace, mercy and kindness.

I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols. – Isaiah 42:8 (NIV)

For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead. – Isaiah 43:3 (NIV)

For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this. How can I let myself be defamed? I will not yield my glory to another. – Isaiah 48:11 (NIV)

Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him;He has put Him to grief.When You make His soul an offering for sin,He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days,And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.
– Isaiah 53:10 (NKJV)

God’s people are to live in such a way that their lives please God. God’s people are to live to please God.

It doesn’t sound like the Christianity that many of us signed up for when we walked down the aisle of our home church and accepted Christ as Lord and Savior in our lives. It does not resemble the only-believe sermons that echoed in tent revivals throughout Middle America during the times of Progressives prior to the Industrial Revolution of America. No, it does not even seem to resemble any of the tenets of religious righteousness that seem to make the headlines as the Religious Right. That doesn’t sound like the normal Christian life that many pastors, evangelists and others have spread throughout the nation and the world about prosperity, being born again, and serving to be saved. No, it doesn’t sound like any of that at all.

However, that is what the Word says. We are to live in a way that pleases God. We are to model our lives after the service, sacrifice and suffrage of Jesus Christ. Isaiah’s “Suffering Savior,” the “man of sorrows,” presents us with a humble manner of submission that we can see and reflect in our own daily lives.

Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. . .

Sadly, we often interpret God’s pleasure as an image of the Heavenly Father looking down and smiling upon Jesus on the cross. That sounds far from the accurate interpretation of the matter. God’s pleasure in the situation is the satisfied debt of sins. The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross satisfied the debt of sin through the Lamb of God who was “without blemish” (1 Peter 1:19, NKJV). Therefore, Jesus submitted to God and offered Himself as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. As John says, He serves as “the propitiation of our sins.” Read Hebrews 2:17 and 1 John 4:10 about His sacrifice for our sins.

He paid a debt that we could never repay on our own. He had to serve as the propitiation of our sins in order to satisfy the debt that we could never repay ourselves. As Paul wrote, salvation is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8). He stepped up and stood in for us, only to sacrifice all and suffer for our sakes.

2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. 4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

– 1 John 5:2-4 (NKJV)

5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. – Philippians 2:5 (NKJV)

We need to reflect Christ’s sacrificial living. Paul stated that we should have the mind of Christ. Peter said that we should suffer just as Christ suffered. James, the brother of the Lord, said that we should embrace being tested and tried. We are to live in a manner that satisfies God. We are to please God.

Our daily lives are to please God. Let not Christ’s suffering and sacrifice appear to be in vain. Do not disregard the cost of salvation. God did not hold back. He offered His best. We, too, are called to offer our best. God offered His best in Jesus Christ. God expects us to offer our best by following the example of Jesus Christ.

Live to please God. Live a repentant and revived life. Live a renewed life as a new creation in Christ Jesus.

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. – Hebrews 11:6 (KJV)

The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy. – Psalm 147:11 (KJV)

“It is the quality of our work which will please God and not the quantity.”
-Mahatma Gandhi (Gandhi quotes)

Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him.- Psalm 115;3 (NIV)

The LORD does whatever pleases him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths.
– Psalm 135:6 (NIV)

God can do whatever He wants to do. In theological terms, it is called His sovereignty. In other words, He is God and answers to no one except Himself. He is God alone, answering to no one.

Since God is sovereign, we can be assured that God can also use whomever He decides to use. He used a stuttering murderer to deliver His people out of Egypt. He used a young man to serve as His prophet to His people. He used a shepherd boy to demonstrate how to be a man after God’s own heart. He used a poor young woman to bring the manifestation of the Messiah into the world. He used a religious zealot to spread the gospel to Gentiles throughout the world.

He uses whomever He chooses to use. He can use you, too. Don’t overlook what God can do and how He can do it to bring Himself glory.

Look at this story below to just how God can use anyone or anything.

21Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab. 22But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, she turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat her to get her back on the road.

24Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between two vineyards, with walls on both sides. 25When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam’s foot against it. So he beat her again.

26Then the angel of the Lord moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left. 27When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and beat her with his staff. 28Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?”

29Balaam answered the donkey, “You have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now.”

30The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?”

“No,” he said.

31Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown.

32The angel of the Lord asked him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me.c33The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared her.”

34Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned. I did not realize you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now if you are displeased, I will go back.”

35The angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but speak only what I tell you.” So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.

God expects us to do our best. He desires it of us. Essentially, we are to do our best to give Him glory.

Have you done your best with what you have been given by God?

Marriage?

Children?

Job?

Spiritual gifts?

The list could go on. We have to answer whether we have truly handled what God has given us to the best of our ability. We have to do our best and give Him the glory in doing so. He has entrusted us. That’s about stewardship.

Do your best and give God the glory. He did so in saving us. He did not hold back. He did not spare anything. He offered His best, a lamb without spot or blemish. We should do the same.

What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? – Romans 8:31-32 (NIV)

The church has a real responsibility. It is revealed in the Word of God. It is real work. It amounts to the work of people. People make up the church. Therefore, the work of the church has plenty to do with the people who come into the church and are touched by the church.

The church has a responsibility to the Lord for how it handles people. Its ultimate responsibility is to answer to the Lord and His commands of them. It represents the Lord on this earth. Its works shed light into the darkness of this world and offers mankind a reason to glorify God the Father in heaven.

The church is called to reach people. We reach people with people and through people. We do the work that touches people and impact lives on this side of heaven.

The church is called to receive people. The Lord adds to the church. That part is on Him, but we have a responsibility, too. We are to serve as wise stewards over what He provides for us. We need to handle what (and who) God gives to us in a manner that blesses God.

It fits. The verses seem to have been laid in just the right place. They seem fitted precisely in the perfect position. They appear nestled in the best place possible, especially after reading of all of the horrific things done throughout the ages.

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.- Colossians 3:17 (ESV)

Some do their own thing and think that it’s okay to do so. They do as they please and they do what pleases them, living without any concern for others. Oddly enough, some of these people even claim to be Christians.

Such Christians have accepted the Deity but not the doctrine. They know that they’re in need of the Savior, but they don’t want to have to deal with the lifestyle of being saved, sanctified and redeemed by the shed blood of Jesus Christ. They don’t want to go to hell, so they simply have chosen the better of the two options.

Christianity is not an alternative lifestyle. It is an absolute lifestyle. There are some biblical and doctrinal absolutes that you had been start adhering to or face the possibility of losing connection with your faith.

Do all for Him. Whether it is in word or deed, do it all for Him. Don’t let what you do cause you to stray. Don’t let what you say cause you to stray either. Do your work for the Lord who did such a mighty work for us.